Bjørn is “King of Tie Land”

The King of Tie Land: Bjørn Hagerup Røken and many of his artistic neckties. (Photo: Mathias Oppedal/NRK)

After the local newspaper Jærbladet wrote about the project it has reached new heights, and last week, initiator Bjørn Hagerup Røken received no less than 485 neckties!

The somewhat untraditional project is to post a daily picture on Instagram wearing a new tie. His ambition was to post 150 photos, but now the project has expanded in line with the new ties he has received.

– I have to use the new ties as well. That´s at least 538 more photos, Hagerup Røken laughs.

Several collectors from across the country have contacted him after he was voted ‘tie enthusiast’.

Expanding

The whole project, which he calls “slipskongen” (Tie King) on Instagram, started one year ago when he bought nearly fifty retro ties at a local pop-up store and was interviewed by newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad.

-When I reached 150 neckties, I thought it would be fun to show them all. Therefore, I decided to post one image every day, he explains.

Vintage

After the media coverage, more collectors came out of the darkness.

– An old woman recently contacted me. She has been collecting for decades. I received a suitcase loaded with neckties where the oldest dates back to the 1940s, he says enthusiastically.

Hagerup Røken is surprised that so many people want to donate their ties. If the trend continues, this could become a lifetime project – something he looks forward to.

-I wish more men would use neckties. It is our ability to vary in colors and patterns. However, I try to tone it down a little and make it casual, he explains.